Page 17 of Gratification in Gluttony (Passing Through Cafe #2)

Chapter seventeen

High-Five for Butt Sex

Over the next several weeks, Toni only saw Jude on Sundays. It was the only day Jude could meet, given his summer school, part-time job, and the Saturday evenings he dedicated to completing assignments from the week. Jude went to Toni’s a few times, since he had more instruments, but given Jude’s busy schedule, Toni crossed the veil a time or two as well in hopes of easing the human’s stress.

The first time Toni crossed into the human world had been a trip. Everything was so loud, and there were so many people everywhere. Sure, the Pentagram had a high population, but Chicago felt more, somehow. Foreign and overwhelming.

Toni had clung to Jude’s hand like a vise as they’d navigated through the busy city to Jude’s apartment in the suburbs. Even there, the air had been stifling, hot but somehow wet.

“Humid,” Jude supplied as Toni wiped sweat from his brow. “This part of the country is always humid.”

“At least it’s dry heat on the other side of the veil. I feel like I’m drowning here.”

“So dramatic,” Jude teased as he opened the door to what he’d called, “the loft.”

“Where’s Ollie?” Toni asked as he crept down the hall, peeking into the galley kitchen, then the living area.

“At Liel’s,” Jude said.

As far as Toni was aware, Oliver still didn’t know that Toni and Jude had sucked face several times. He figured when Oliver found out, he’d hear about it at work, but so far, Oliver spent most of his time talking about Liel, not threatening to kill Toni for sticking his hand down his best friend’s pants.

It bothered him, like a nagging itch in the back of his brain, but Toni ignored it. At some point, it would matter enough to talk about. For now, Toni planned to go with the flow.

Their last guitar lesson had gone swimmingly in Toni’s opinion. He learned several new chords and a few different strumming rhythms. Then he’d spent a good hour with his face attached to Jude’s, pushing the human into the couch cushions and grinding down on him until he made those sexy noises Toni liked so much.

Neither of them had come, but that was okay. Toni had mapped the ink on Jude’s chest, tracing the lines with his tongue. Then he’d trailed kisses along the scars and buried his face in Jude’s armpit where his scent was thick and musky. Jude had laughed, and Toni had thought him beautiful.

Today, however, Jude had heavy bags under his eyes, and he yawned every few minutes as he arranged, then rearranged Toni’s fingers on the strings. Instead of a hot and heavy make-out session, Toni planned to tuck the human into bed the moment their lesson was done. And if he was lucky, Jude would let him snuggle up behind him and hold him until he fell asleep.

“This don’t sound right,” Toni said as he strummed what was supposed to be an F#m .

Jude talked through his yawn, “You’re-in-the-wrong-fret.”

“What?” Toni asked, and Jude shook his head.

“Sorry. You’re in the wrong fret. Move up.”

Toni studied Jude’s fingers, then repositioned his hand on his own guitar. “Yeah, I see what I did. So, like this?”

Setting his guitar aside, Jude stood and walked around until he was behind Toni. He adjusted Toni’s fingers slightly, then said, “Try now.”

Toni strummed, though his attention was on Jude’s face, not his hand position. Jude glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and smirked. “Pay attention.”

“I am,” Toni lied.

“Pay attention or else I won’t kiss you later,” Jude threatened, and Toni made a big deal about staring at his fingers on the strings.

“That’s very good motivation; you’re an excellent teacher.”

Jude laughed. “I’d get fired as a teacher if I used sexual favors as incentive.”

“Good thing I’m your only student; I won’t ever report you for misconduct.”

By the end of the evening, Toni could play through a few simple songs, though his strumming left much to be desired. Piano definitely came more naturally, but he was determined to master this. If for no other reason than because Jude was taking the time and effort to teach him.

When Jude yawned for the millionth time, Toni set his guitar in the case and pointed toward the hallway that led—he assumed—to Jude’s bedroom. “Okay, you’re going to bed. Let’s go.”

Jude postured for all of five seconds before he let Toni pack up his own guitar and carry it to his room. His bedroom was smaller than Toni’s, but it smelled strongly of Jude’s shampoo—sandalwood and bergamot, Jude had said when Toni had asked. It was Toni’s new favorite fragrance, and he planned to buy a whole bucket load and drench his flat in it.

For now, he settled for hooking an arm around Jude’s neck and burying his face in his hair, inhaling deeply to fill his lungs with the stuff. Jude turned in Toni’s hold and tilted his head back, and Toni kissed him. The moment Jude tried to deepen it, however, Toni pulled away.

“I mean it,” he said against Jude’s mouth. “You’re going to bed. You’re exhausted.”

Jude frowned. “You didn’t come over here to tuck me into bed.”

Toni snorted. “I came over here to learn guitar and hang out with you. And if that means tucking you into bed so you get a good night’s rest, then that’s what I’m gonna do. Lay down.”

With an almost childish air, Jude did as he was told, though he removed his shirt first. Holding eye contact with Toni, Jude smiled and unbuckled his belt, then slowly undid his pants. Toni’s blood hummed, but he ignored it, keeping his expression neutral as Jude undressed down to his underwear.

He removed his packer and tossed it onto the side table where it landed with a thud . Toni snickered as the silicone jiggled. Then he drank in Jude’s short, full frame.

“Like what you see?” Jude asked.

“Yes,” Toni answered honestly. “You want pajamas or are you sleeping like that?”

Like he was surprised, and slightly confused, as to why Toni wasn’t throwing him on the bed to have his wicked way with him, Jude skeptically retrieved pajama pants from his dresser and slipped them on. Then he climbed onto the bed, the frame squeaking obscenely as he moved.

Toni toed off his boots and emptied his pockets, but remained otherwise dressed as he settled onto the mattress above the covers Jude had tucked himself under. Facing each other, they shared a pillow, their noses touching.

“What are you doing?” Jude asked.

“Taking care of you,” Toni answered.

For some reason, Jude winced at that, but he covered it quickly, playing it off with an eye-roll. “Are you really gonna lay here while I fall asleep?”

“That’s the plan, baby.”

“What about your train back? I don’t want you to get lost—”

“I got a phone with this handy invention called GPS,” Toni said haughtily. “It’s new and fancy and—eep!” He squealed when Jude pinched his forearm fin. “Watch it! They’re fragile.”

“Only if I squash them, remember?”

“You’re supposed to be going to sleep, not giving me attitude.” Shuffling closer, Toni slid an arm over Jude’s waist, smoothing the blanket at his back. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll find my way home.”

Jude wriggled a hand free of the bedding and traced the shell of Toni’s pointed ear. “I have some sensory-overload earplugs you can use. I know the city noise hurts your ears.”

“Sensory what?”

Gesturing behind Toni, toward the side table, he said, “A special type of earplug. It doesn’t block out all sound, just certain frequencies. It should help with the city noise on your trip back.”

The fact Jude had noticed and had already thought of a solution sent warmth spilling through Toni’s veins. “Thanks. You sure you don’t need them?”

“I’ll get them back next week,” Jude said, pointing again at the table. “They’re in the drawer.”

Mindful not to smack Jude in the face with his spinal fin, Toni turned over and opened up the lower drawer of the side table. His brows shot up at what he found inside. “I’m assuming this is the wrong drawer,” he said as he plucked a rainbow dildo from the pile of sex toys and brandished it like a prize.

Jude snickered. “Yeah, that’s my dick drawer.”

“You weren’t kidding. You come with many dick options.” Toni rifled through them, picking several to inspect as Jude hid his flushed face in the pillow. “Is it weird that I’m getting turned on at the thought of choosing which dick you fuck me with? ’Cause, baby, it’s doing things to me.”

“You assume I’m a sure thing, huh?” Jude challenged.

“Not assume. Never assume.” Toni flicked Jude’s nose with his empty hand before he held up an intimidatingly large, anatomically accurate cock and shook it so it danced. “I’m just a bucket-half-full kind of guy. Optimism, baby.”

“Glass-half-full,” Jude corrected.

“Same thing,” Toni dismissed before he sat up to scrutinize a black harness with many straps. “What’s this? Some kind of sexy human underwear for construction workers?”

“It’s my harness,” Jude said, almost shyly. “I need it to, you know, use the dicks. It’s why they’re called strap-ons.”

“Because of all the straps. Very logical.” Toni held it up, then waggled his eyebrows at Jude. “You wanna fuck me with this sometime?”

Jude took the harness, fingering the buckles. “You want me to?”

“Very much. Why do you look surprised?” Toni asked, smoothing out the wrinkles furrowed between Jude’s eyes.

“Not surprised, exactly. You’re just the only person to ever be this excited about my strap-ons.”

Dropping the dildos back into the drawer, Toni hunkered back into the bed, running a finger over the rough strap of the harness Jude was still holding. “Why would I not be excited about all aspects of sex with you? It helps that I thoroughly enjoy taking it up the ass.”

Jude’s eyes burned with intensity as he said, voice deliciously husky, “Well, I thoroughly enjoy topping, so…”

Toni lifted his hand. “Alright! High-five for butt sex.”

With a snort, Jude burst into laughter, and Toni joined him, the bed squeaking beneath them.

“Come on, don’t leave me hanging,” Toni said after almost a full minute of Jude smothering his chortles in his pillow.

Finally, Jude reached up and high-fived him. “Every time you open your mouth, I never know what to expect.”

“That’s the beauty of Toni, baby. Every moment’s an adventure.” He lunged in and planted a kiss to Jude’s mouth. He didn’t linger there, pecking the tip of the human’s cute, little nose, before settling back on the pillow. “I’ve distracted you enough. Close those pretty eyes, and go to sleep.”

“I still don’t like the idea of you getting home alone.”

“I like you worrying about me.” Toni nuzzled Jude’s nose with his as he closed his eyes too. Just to rest them for a bit. “But I’m a big boy. I’ll be fine.”

Jude hummed, shifting his hand until it bumped Toni’s. Without opening his eyes, Toni slotted his fingers between Jude’s until their hands tangled. Jude’s breath fanned over Toni’s mouth, his heartbeat a slow and steady melody in Toni’s ear. By the time Toni succumbed to sleep, he had the human’s heart-song memorized.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but when a foreign alarm rang through the room, Toni jerked into consciousness with a gasp. He was still on top of the covers, arms chilled from the air-conditioning, but his body was warm thanks to the human currently snuggled into his chest.

Tightening his arms around Jude, Toni pressed his mouth and nose into the wild curls on top of Jude’s head. The fins on his right arm had been flattened against the mattress, and they’d be sore the moment he moved. But he couldn’t bring himself to care as Jude burrowed deeper into his embrace with a sigh.

When the phone alarm sounded again, Jude groaned, and Toni tightened his hold for a moment before sliding his arms away so Jude could roll over and search for the origin of the blasphemous noise.

Without thinking, Toni rolled onto his back, only to hiss when his spinal fin bent against a hard mattress instead of sliding into the slot his own bed had. He sat up with a wince, his crushed right arm fins shrieking in pain as they slowly unfurled.

Okay, he’d have to be more strategic about how he slept in Jude’s bed in the future. If he slept in Jude’s bed in the future?

“Toni?” Jude rubbed his eyes, his curls sticking up in different directions.

“Hey, I think I fell asleep.”

Jude laughed sleepily and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I think you’re right.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay. Sorry for mashing your fins.”

Toni glanced down at the trembling appendages. “They’ll recover. My back however.” He stretched with a groan. “I mean all the offense when I say your mattress sucks.”

“I’m a twenty-six year old college student. Of course, my mattress sucks.” Jude slid out from under the covers and stood, arms reaching for the ceiling as he also stretched.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to ogle, Toni enjoyed the view of Jude’s smooth back smattered with more freckles. He had two indents above his ass, and the cutest love handles pooching over the band of his pajama pants. Toni imagined his fingers grabbing hold there as Jude rode him.

His dicks liked the image way too much, and he glared down at the constricting jeans pinching his erections at a painful angle. He tried to be subtle as he rearranged, but the quiet snicker behind him communicated that he wasn’t as stealthy as he’d hoped.

“It’s morning,” Toni sniped. “I can’t help it. Plus, you look really good all sleep-rumpled.”

“Glad you’re enjoying the view,” Jude deadpanned as he rifled in his dresser for clean clothes. “Hopefully, I look better than I smell right now.”

“What? You smell amazing. You always smell amazing, which is, like, a mystery of nature or something.”

Clothes in hand, Jude turned and leveled Toni with a bemused smile. “What?”

“C’mere.” Toni motioned him over, taking hold of his wrist when he was close enough. With a tug, he guided Jude to straddle his lap, then he lifted Jude’s arm and pressed his face to the whorls of hair in his armpit.

“What are you doing?” Jude squeaked as Toni inhaled deeply.

Jude smelled less like his shampoo and more like sleep and musk and sweat. But Toni liked it just as much, if not more.

“See? Still smells good.” Dragging his nose along Jude’s collarbones, he ended his exploration in the nape of his neck where his pulse beat wildly. Toni licked him there, and Jude gasped. “We should call in sick.”

“Can’t. I need to shower.” Jude’s breathing was unsteady, and Toni smiled into his neck.

“Need me to wash your back?”

Hot air fanned over Toni’s ear as Jude whispered, “I don’t think I’ll get clean that way.”

“I wanna dirty you up, then clean you off so I can get you dirty all over again.”

Shifting in his lap, Jude pressed his core against Toni’s dicks, and they both groaned.

“I gotta go,” Jude said between rolls of his hips, “to class.”

“You can’t go to class. You’re terribly ill. I gotta keep you in bed and nurse you back to health. It’s gonna take all day.” Toni grabbed a fistful of Jude’s ass, grinding them harder together as pleasure zinged up his spine. “Yeah, like that, baby.”

With a moan, Jude flattened his hands on Toni’s chest and pushed him down, mouthing at his jaw. It would have been sexy if Toni didn’t have a rather inflexible fin on his spine.

“Fin,” he whimpered, and Jude sat up.

“Shit, sorry.”

“S’okay.” Toni tightened his hold on the human’s waist and spun them around until Jude was on his back. He settled between Jude’s spread legs, aligning them just right, and—

“Oh fuck,” Jude gasped, hands grasping at Toni’s hips. Then he was shoving up Toni’s shirt, and Toni was only too glad to be rid of it. “This can’t take long. I can’t skip class.”

“No pressure,” Toni grumbled as he tossed his shirt aside.

Jude’s hands were tentative as he dragged exploratory fingers over Toni’s chest and down his stomach. He traced the dark blue stripes and the places Toni’s bones pressed against skin. With them both shirtless, even Toni could see the difference in the placement of muscle and bone, but, like Toni, Jude seemed to like that they weren’t the same.

Blunt teeth digging into his bottom lip, Jude smoothed his palms up Toni’s torso until they rounded over his shoulders. His thumbs skimmed the skin under Toni’s lowest set of gills, and he met Toni’s gaze.

“Does this hurt?” he asked, thumbs rubbing again.

Toni shook his head. “I mean, don’t shove your fingers inside or anything.”

Jude grinned. “Wasn’t planning on it. I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“I ain’t that breakable, bitesize.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to Jude.

The human pulled away. “No kissing until you brush your teeth.”

“Picky, picky,” Toni mumbled against his jaw.

“Wait, do you breathe with both your nose and your gills?” Jude asked as Toni nibbled on his earlobe.

“Is this really what you wanna talk about right now?”

“Oh come on, can’t you multitask?” Jude grazed his teeth over the nape of Toni’s neck and snuck a hand between them, cupping the front of Toni’s pants.

“Fuck, not if you touch me like that.” Toni thrust into his hand.

“Try,” Jude teased, rubbing in a way that had Toni’s brain glitching.

“I, uh, can breathe with both, though they connect to different lungs,” Toni managed to ground out. “One set’s better for water. The other’s better for air.”

Jude stopped his ministrations. “You can breathe underwater?”

“I really feel like this conversation should be saved for another time, especially if we’re on the clock,” Toni practically growled.

“You’re a different species than me. Of course I’m curious how your body works!” The teeth on Toni’s shoulders bit harder, and Toni groaned. “Stop whining.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Toni lifted up, glaring down at the infuriating human. He pointed to his chest. “Two sets of lungs because my ancestors were water-based. Then we evolved, but we still like to swim.” Then he pointed to his gills. “For breathing underwater, though I can use them in air. It just feels very dry and itchy and uncomfortable, and gives me no context for my surroundings.” Next, he pointed to his nose. “For breathing air. It’s much more comfortable and has the benefit of scent. If I try to use it underwater, it burns like a motherfucker. Are we done?”

“You’re feisty,” Jude said.

“No, I’m sexually frustrated!” Toni seethed between clenched teeth.

Another alarm sounded, and Toni literally whined in disappointment as Jude wriggled out from underneath him to grab at his phone.

“What’s that?”

“My I’m-running-late alarm,” Jude said as he scrambled to his feet. “I really need to shower now.”

Burying his face in the bed, Toni whimpered. “I don’t think my ball has ever been this blue.”

“Aren’t your balls always blue? You know, given your complexion.”

Without lifting his face from the mattress, Toni flipped Jude his middle finger, but the human only laughed. Then a soft hand ran the length of Toni’s spinal fin, making him shudder.

“Feel free to use a dildo or two to help yourself out. I’ll be back in ten.”

“Sometimes, I really don’t like you,” Toni mumbled, but Jude was already gone.

Instead of jerking off like he really wanted to, Toni shoved his feet into his boots and gathered his phone, keys, and wallet. He waited in the hall for Jude to exit the bathroom, and when he did, Toni almost pushed him right back in. His skin was damp and flushed from the heat, and Toni wanted to lick up every droplet of water remaining on his body.

He didn’t.

“I jerked off on one of your shirts,” Toni lied primly. “Then I put it back in your dresser. I’m not gonna tell which drawer.”

“What a disgusting scavenger hunt,” Jude said dryly as he jerked a thumb at the bathroom. “I left mouthwash on the counter.”

“Fuck you,” Toni said without any heat.

Jude grinned. “Maybe next week.”

Toni used the mouthwash. After some deliberation, he also used the shower. He’d bathed before he’d crossed the veil yesterday, but he was still hard. So, he jumped into the skinny shower-bath-combo for a quick rinse, and yes, a yank. Because he was strung too taut to survive a whole day of work without vibrating out of his skin. He came quietly, moan muffled by his forearm and the running water.

Feeling marginally less frazzled, he redressed in his clothes from yesterday and refastened his boots. Then he searched out Jude, finding him in the kitchen, fully dressed, bent over a bowl of cereal as he scrolled on his phone.

“Hey, can I have a bite?” Toni leaned in as Jude offered him his spoon. Artificial fruit and sugar burst over Toni’s tongue, and he grimaced. “Gross. How do you eat that?”

“It’s nostalgic,” Jude defended. “I ate this all the time when I was a kid.”

“Blech, not for me.” Hooking an arm around Jude’s neck, Toni pressed a kiss to his temple. “I gotta catch a train.”

“I can go with you to the station.”

“Won’t you be late?”

Jude winced. “Probably, but—”

“Don’t worry about it. GPS, remember?”

“Right. Hey, let me grab you the sensory earplugs.”

After grabbing his guitar, Toni waited at the front door for Jude to return. When he did, he handed Toni a small case holding two strange-looking earplugs. Toni’s chest gave another lurch as he closed the case and tucked it into his pocket. “Thanks, you’ll get them back next week. And sorry again, about falling asleep in your bed uninvited.”

“No, don’t be. It was nice.” Scuffing the floor with his socked foot, Jude gestured back toward his room. “I’m sorry too. About before. I was kind of a cock-tease.”

Toni captured his chin in a gentle grasp and forced his eyes up. “Cock-teases don’t exist. That’s a bullshit term immature incels use to pressure people. I’m a big boy, Jude. I can take care of myself just fine.”

“Like you took care of yourself on my shirt?” Jude said, and Toni chuckled.

“Nah, that was me being a little shit. I took care of myself in your shower.” Heat flared in Jude’s eyes, and Toni leaned in, hovering over his mouth. “And I used your mouthwash. Can I kiss you goodbye?”

Instead of answering with words, Jude popped onto his toes and joined their mouths. He tasted like the terrible cereal he’d been eating, but Toni curled their tongues together all the same, only pulling away when Jude was breathless, cheeks flushed.

“See you next week?”

Jude nodded. “Yeah. Hopefully we’ll have time to… take care of each other.”

With a dark chuckle, Toni ducked out of the loft, voice full of sin as he said, “Oh, baby, we’ll make time for that. I guarantee it.”